The term “control device” refers to any electronic module (electronic control unit (ECU), electronic control module (ECM)) that is installed directly at utilization locations at which open- or closed-loop control is necessary. Control devices serve to control motor vehicles, machines, systems, and a wide variety of technical processes. In the context of present-day combustion engines, mechanical regulation concepts have been almost entirely displaced by electronic control units.
A control device corresponding to the existing art is made up of a standalone computer in the form of an embedded system. The size of this computer varies considerably depending on the complexity of its tasks, and ranges from single-chip solutions having a microcontroller with built-in RAM and ROM memory to multi-processor systems having a flash memory whose contents can be updated, for example, in a qualified technical service facility.
DE 10 2011 117376 A1 discloses a method for accepting program data via telematics into a control device of a motor vehicle. The method according to the present invention encompasses transferring new program data via mobile radio to a first memory region of a first control device, transferring the new program data to a destination control device, and automatically checking the functionality of the destination control device before the motor vehicle is enabled again.